A Girl's Night in Hell
by Kamari Targaryen
Summary: The Total Drama girls meet up in Las Vegas for a party, hoping for some fun time away from the guys. But things quickly go sideways when one of them ends up dead, leading to a terrifying game of life and death. Slightly AU. Rated M for lots of violence and some profanity.
1. Girl's Night

**I own nothing. Total Drama is the property of Teletoon Inc. and its creators**

* * *

**Las Vegas, 6:00 PM**

The party hadn't been Gwen's idea. Nor was it something she'd had any intention of attending. And yet, here she was, standing outside the massive, extravagant hotel just off the Vegas Strip. She wasn't really sure why she'd come, but there wasn't much that could be done about it now. She was here and she might as well make the best of it, unless she wanted to listen to Heather bitch about how she was such a gloomy, weird goth girl.

It had been Heather, with help from Blaineley, Lindsey, and Dakota, who had planned this party and it had been Courtney who had invited Gwen. It had been a gut wrenching decision for Gwen to make. On the one hand was her intense dislike of parties, large crowds and bad music, not to mention Heather and Blaineley. But on the other hand was her friendship with Courtney and her intense desire not to let that friendship die again. And so, she'd chosen to accept Courtney's invitation, knowing that it was quite likely that she'd later regret that choice.

Sighing, Gwen put the negative thoughts out of her mind and entered the hotel. It was a massive place and Gwen couldn't help being impressed with Heather's choice of location. She had never been to Las Vegas before and she was finding the city strangely to her liking. Still, she had to admit that she would rather have come here under different circumstances. But this girl's night that Heather had planned had provided the perfect excuse and that was good enough for Gwen. All she needed to do was pop in, mingle for a little bit, and then get out so she could explore the city on her own. She fully intended to bring Courtney with her, of course, and anyone else who wanted to leave after an hour or so of monotony. But all of that changed when she entered the grand ballroom and saw the spread that Heather had gotten.

"Gwen! You're here!" an excited voice said then, drawing Gwen's attention. She turned to find Courtney, Bridgette, Lindsey, Beth, and Izzy gathered around a small table talking. She smiled and joined them, still in awe of the sight that had greeted her.

Heather had gotten the hotel to erect a large stage along one wall of the ballroom, on which Gwen could only assume a live band or two would later be playing. Brilliant lights flashed everywhere and several large tables were laden with all sorts of food, so much food that Gwen couldn't help thinking how Owen would have reacted to the sight. But Owen wasn't there and he wouldn't be joining them any time soon. This party, this night, was just for the girls.

"Heather really went all out for this, didn't she?" Gwen mused, taking a sip of the wine Courtney had handed her.

"Yeah. Isn't it great?" Lindsey said. "I couldn't have done it better myself."

"Don't let Heather hear you say that." Bridgette warned. "She'll never let you hear the end of it you know."

Lindsey smiled, but made no reply. It was clear that she knew the risks of dealing with Heather and needed no reminders. But she was in too good a mood to make any further comment on the subject, for which Gwen was most grateful.

"You know what I think is great?" Izzy asked then. "The lack of guys at this party."

"Don't you miss Owen though?" Beth asked, curious.

"Sure, but it's nice to spend a little time away from the boys, don't you think?" Izzy said.

"I guess so." Beth said, shrugging.

"I agree with Izzy." said Courtney. "We needed this. A night to ourselves, without the guys complaining about us not doing the things they want to do."

"I'll drink to that." Bridgette said, grinning as she raised her glass in a toast. The others followed suit and soon they were mingling with rest of the girls who had been invited to the party. Gwen went along with it all, ever observant for her moment of escape.

As she made her way around the room, Gwen took note of how each of the others was reacting to this party. Not surprisingly Heather, Blaineley, Lindsey, Dakota, Katie, Sadie, and Beth seemed to be enjoying the music the most. Courtney, Bridgette, Izzy, Zoey, Staci, Anne Maria, Sierra, and LeShawna seemed to be more interested in mingling than dancing. And Eva, Jo, and Dawn were standing off in the corners, avoiding everyone. At least Eva and Jo were talking to each other though. Dawn seemed to be completely alone, all but ignored by the others. And the look on her face was alarming, as though she'd seen a ghost or witnessed a horrible crime.

Concerned, Gwen made her way over to the moonchild, hoping to discovery the cause of Dawn's discomfort. "Dawn?" she asked, as she approached. "Dawn, is everything alright?"

The sound of her voice seemed to startle Dawn, who jumped and blinked, as though she was coming out of some kind of trance. "Gwen." she breathed. "You scared me."

"Sorry about that." Gwen said, her tone gentle. "Is something bothering you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I...we shouldn't be here." Dawn said, her voice trembling.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked, confused. "Where shouldn't we be? The hotel? The city? Where?"

"Both." Dawn answered, her tone suddenly ominous. "We shouldn't have come anywhere near either this city or this hotel."

"Why?" Gwen asked, still confused. "Is something going to happen?"

"Yes." Dawn answered. "Something bad. Something horrible, actually."

"Okay." Gwen said, her tone skeptical. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

"They won't listen." Dawn said. "They never listen. All they do is look at me like I'm a freak or something."

Gwen nodded, understanding. She knew what it was like to be looked at like she was a freak and it was then that she decided she believed what Dawn was telling her. The only question now was how to get the others to listen to Dawn's concerns.

"Okay Dawn, here's what we're gonna do." Gwen said, leading Dawn towards the stage as she spoke. "We're gonna force them to listen."

Once they were on the stage Gwen grabbed a microphone and switched it on. "Okay, everybody stop partying and listen." she shouted, her voice echoing in the suddenly silent room.

"What the hell Gwen?" Blaineley shouted. "Why are you making us stop?"

"Because Dawn has something to say and you all need to listen to her." Gwen answered.

"Oh, fucking hell, not this shit again." Heather said, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "The little tree hugger has already voiced her concerns and nothing's come of them, so why should we listen to her jabber away again?"

_Typical_, Gwen thought. To Heather she said, "Did you actually listen to Dawn before? Or did you just pretend you were listening?"

"Does it matter?" Heather said, her tone thick with contempt. "Tree hugger girl is always 'sensing' things that aren't actually there, so why should we believe her?"

"Her name is Dawn, you arrogant, spiteful bitch." Gwen snapped. "And you should listen to her because she's usually right about what she feels."

"Yeah, usually, but not always." Blaineley said, with a supportive glance at Heather. "Maybe if she was always right I'd listen to her, but she's not, so I won't."

"Please, you have to listen." Dawn said then, before Gwen could think of a retort to Blaineley's last quip.

"Give us a reason and maybe we will." Heather said, taking a sip of wine as she spoke.

"Something bad is going to happen to us if we stay here." Dawn said. "I can feel it. I can feel the aura of death around all of us."

Those chilling words seemed to give the others pause and more than a few of them exchanged nervous glances, but Heather and Blaineley remained unconvinced.

"You say something bad is going to happen, but you won't tell us what it is." Heather said. "And yet, you expect us to just buy into this shit and end our party, which Blaineley and I have spent months planning, just because you have a feeling. I'm sorry, but I fail to see the logic in that."

"Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there." Gwen said, her tone dark.

"Doesn't it though?" Heather asked. "In your entire life have you ever known something to exist when you can't see it?"

Gwen didn't answer and Heather smiled, victorious, before adding, "I knew you wouldn't stand strong for long Gwen. So, if we're done with this nonsense, let's get back to partying."

"What if they're right though?" Zoey asked then, drawing several surprised glances.

"They're not!" Heather snapped, her tone venomous. "Dawn is a fraud and Gwen is a fool. Now shut the fuck up and start having a good time, damn it!"

Zoey looked like she wanted to say more, but a glance from Gwen stopped her. There was no sense in fighting a battle that could not be won. It was clear that Heather wasn't going to listen and neither were any of the others, even those who weren't close with Heather at all. All they wanted to do was party and they were deaf to Dawn's wisdom.

_Their loss, I guess_, Gwen thought, though even she was unsure what to make of Dawn's feelings. On the one hand she wanted to believe Dawn was right, if only so Dawn would have someone who supported her. But on the other hand, she was relieved Heather had shut the argument down, for if Dawn was actually right, things would get very bad for them all. _I can only hope nothing happens, for if it does, we're screwed._

"I'm sorry Dawn." she whispered to the moonchild, once everyone had returned to partying.

"It's okay." Dawn said, her tone sullen. "You tried. It's not your fault they won't listen."

"Yeah, I know." Gwen said. "But it would have been nice to get them to finally pay attention to something other than themselves, especially Heather."

"Some things just aren't meant to be." Dawn said, her tone sad.

Gwen nodded and they moved to join Zoey, Courtney, and Bridgette at one of the tables near the back of the room. Zoey gave them a sympathetic smile as they took their seats, while Courtney and Bridgette simply nodded.

"Well, that went well, didn't it?" Courtney said, glancing at Gwen, who shrugged.

"What were you thinking interrupting the party like that?" Bridgette asked.

"I was hoping to get Heather to pull her head out of her ass for once." Gwen muttered, cracking open a soda as she spoke.

"Yeah, that'll never happen." Bridgette said. "Heather is too stubborn. She will never listen to anything other than what she wants to hear."

"Or what Alejandro whispers in her ear when they fuck." Gwen muttered.

The others laughed at that, all except Dawn, who was still fretting about her feelings that something bad was going to happen. "Do you guys believe me?" she asked then.

Courtney, Bridgette, and Zoey exchanged a look before Zoey answered. "Of course we do. You have a gift Dawn and that's not something that can be ignored."

_Good answer_, Gwen thought. _Like Dawn can't see right through that lie._

Dawn, however, nodded and smiled, seemingly relieved that there were others who shared Gwen's belief in her. Gwen chose not to say anything, choosing instead to take a swig of her soda.

"So, what do you guys think of Vegas?" Zoey asked then.

"It's a nice city, I guess." Courtney answered. "Though it wouldn't have been my first choice for this get together."

"Same goes for me." Bridgette said. "I would have chosen some place with sand and sun and water."

"There's sand and sun here." Gwen said, grinning.

"Yeah, desert sand." Bridgette said. "And blazing hot desert sun. And the only water I've seen are those dancing fountains down the street."

"There's a lake that's not too far from here." Gwen said. "Lake Mead, I think it's called."

"Can I surf there?" Bridgette asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't think so." Gwen said. "But I'm sure there's other things you could do there."

"If I can't surf, it's no good to me." Bridgette said. "So, like Court said, this place is okay, but it's not my number one spot to party."

Gwen nodded, seeming to understand, and then said, "Well, I for one, think Vegas is great. There's a lot of things that we can do here, like visit the cool wax museum down the street."

"Only you would think a wax museum is fun place to visit." Courtney said, mock contempt coloring her tone.

"What's wrong with wax museums?" Gwen asked, with mock confusion.

"They're creepy." Courtney said. "All those wax statues of famous people standing there staring at you. It's like visiting a doll factory or a clown museum."

"I'm sure Trent would agree with you on that last one." Bridgette said, grinning.

"Wait, I thought Trent was afraid of mimes?" Zoey said, confused.

"He is." Gwen said. "But clowns are close enough. And Courtney's right, clowns are creepy anyway. I've never liked those grinning bastards."

"Well, if we're lucky, we'll never have to see any clowns." Courtney said, as she stood and stretched, before turning towards the dance floor.

Bridgette and Zoey followed suit, but Gwen stayed in her seat. "C'mon Gwen, let's go dance for a bit." Bridgette urged.

"Nah, I think I'll stay here and keep Dawn company." Gwen said, with a glance at the moonchild, who had grown quite again.

"Alright, we'll talk to later then." Bridgette said, before she, Courtney, and Zoey joined the crowd that was already out on the dance floor.

Gwen watched them go, sipping on her soda, her mind beginning to wander. She still hadn't found her excuse to leave the party early and she was beginning to wonder if she ever would. She supposed it didn't matter anymore anyway. Everyone else was clearly more interested in partying here than going out and exploring the city, so Gwen had no choice but to stay and try to make the best of the situation, much to her chagrin.

As she sat, she watched the others, keeping track of where they all were in the room. Heather, of course, was in the middle of the dance floor, a drink in her hand as she swayed to the music. Blaineley, Lindsey, Beth, Dakota, Katie, Sadie, and Anne Maria surrounded Heather like a flock of sheep, though Gwen knew none of them really liked Heather all the much. On a different part of the floor Sierra and Izzy were dancing as well, their movements wild and erratic, as though they were trying to be as chaotic as possible. Courtney, Bridgette, and Zoey joined LeShawna on another part of the floor, the four of them pointedly ignoring Heather's group. Staci sat alone at one of the other tables, nursing a large glass of wine. And Eva and Jo were still deep in conversation, about what Gwen could only guess.

At some point Blaineley pulled herself away from the dance floor and disappeared into an adjacent room, her movement catching Dawn's attention as well. The moonchild's eyes went wide and she gasped, drawing Gwen's attention away from Blaineley.

"Dawn, what is it?" she asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Blaineley." Dawn said. "She shouldn't go off alone. It's about to happen."

Gwen blinked, taken aback, before realizing what Dawn was talking about. But before she could move to find Blaineley a bloodcurdling scream rent the air, causing everyone to freeze. And then the lights went out, plunging the room into total darkness.

* * *

**A/N: And that's chapter one. This is more like a prologue, even though I'm not calling it that. Anyway, things will get very dark and gruesome from here on out, with a ton of death, mayhem, and murder. Dawn was right, something bad was about to happen, and in the upcoming chapters you'll find out just what that something is. Just so you're aware, the guys will not be appearing in this fic. They'll have there own adventure with death a little later, so look for that sometime in the future. Also, Lake Mead is a real lake, in case you're wondering and obviously Las Vegas is a real city. That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed. Cheers, KT.**


	2. The Game Begins

Las Vegas, 7:55 PM

Gwen stood in total darkness, too afraid to move. Dawn had been right and there was no telling what was going to happen next. The others seemed to sense the same thing, for the entire room had gone silent, as though they were all holding their breath as they waited for whatever came next. Gwen could hear the sound of someone's labored, terrified breathing somewhere to her right, but she couldn't tell who it was, which only made her more afraid.

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" Heather asked then, her voice shrill and demanding. "Is this some kind of fucking joke?"

"Heather?" Lindsey asked, her voice terrified. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me Lindsey." Heather replied. "Who the fuck else would it be?"

"Would you two shut up?" Gwen snapped. "I'm trying to figure out what happened to the lights and your jabbering is making it very hard to think."

"Wait, so, this isn't a joke of yours?" Heather asked, fear now coloring her tone.

"Of course not." Gwen said. "Don't be an idiot. Why would I do something like this?"

Heather didn't answer, though Gwen could tell that she wanted to. Truthfully, there were any number of reasons why she would pull a stunt like this, but there was no sense in dwelling on it. She hadn't done this and there was a bigger mystery to solve at the moment.

"So, if it wasn't Gwen, then who was it?" Sierra asked then, her voice a terrified squeak.

"How the hell would any of us possibly know that?" Courtney asked. "Someone who wants to freak us out, probably. Maybe it was one of the guys."

"Impossible." Gwen heard Jo say from somewhere across the room. "The guys aren't here, remember? They're off having their own little party or whatever."

Jo's tone suggested that she'd rather be wherever the guys were and it almost made Gwen laugh, but she bit the laughter back. Now was not the time for laughter. "Look, it doesn't matter who did it." she said. "What matters now is finding out how to turn these damn lights back on."

No sooner had she spoken when the lights suddenly flickered back to life, bathing the room in dim, flickering light. Gwen glanced around her, making sure everyone was present and accounted for. "Is everyone okay?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"Yeah, I think we're good." Bridgette said, her tone relieved as she made her way over to Gwen's side. "What the hell was that?"

"I think the breaker might have blown or something." Gwen said, glancing at Heather as she spoke. "Maybe we should continue this party somewhere else?"

Heather nodded, though she looked more than a little annoyed. Gwen couldn't blame her. Heather had put so much time and effort into this party and to have it end like this had to sting her pride a bit. But moving to a new location was the best idea and Gwen didn't feel like arguing about it. But all of that changed when she noticed the look on Dawn's face.

"Dawn, is everything okay?" Gwen asked. "You still look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's not over." Dawn whispered. "This was just the beginning."

"Oh, for fucks sake." Heather said, quickly regaining her bitchy demeanor.

"Will you please shut up." Gwen snarled, glaring at Heather. "She wasn't wrong about something happening, so why are you still questioning her?"

"Maybe because I'm not any idiot." Heather replied. "We're all here, no one is hurt, so what the hell is she still afraid of?"

"But we're not all here." Dawn said, her pale eyes moving to meet Heather's. "One of us is missing and that's not good."

"What are you-oh shit, Blaineley!" Heather said, changing course mid-sentence. "Where the hell is Blaineley?"

"I saw her go into the room next door just before the lights went out." Gwen said. "So did Dawn. Maybe she's still in there."

"Oh God, you don't think that was her who screamed, do you?" Lindsey asked.

"Only one way to find out." Gwen answered, before turning and heading for the door to the adjacent room. The others hesitated a moment before following her, many of them talking in hushed voices thick with fear.

The sight that greeted them was more horrifying than any of them could have possibly anticipated. Blaineley was indeed still in the room and it had most definitely been her who had screamed, though Gwen knew she hadn't screamed for long. In fact, it was surprising Blaineley had screamed at all.

The former host of Celebrity Manhunt was standing in the center of the room, held in place by the large metal pole that was shoved between her legs and the meat hook and chain that jutted from between her shoulder blades. The chain hung from the chandelier above her, connected to two pieces of barbed wire that were wrapped around her wrists. Her arms were splayed out to her sides, held in place by the barbed wire, which was buried deep in her flesh. Her head hung limp in front of her, her hair draped over her face like a curtain. Blood trickled down the front of her dress from a gash in her throat, though the gash was partially hidden by her hair. There were wounds to her chest and abdomen as well, though it was impossible to tell which had been the killing blow. And on the floor beside her was a message, scrawled in her blood, that read;_ You have twelve hours to escape hell. Make it out and you shall live, fail and you will die. The game shall start at the stroke of eight._

Upon reading the message, Gwen tore her gaze away from the ruin of Blaineley's corpse and glanced up at the clock that hung from the chain. The clock read 7:59 PM and Gwen realized then that this was no random event. A second later the clock hit 8 and began counting down, as Gwen watched it in horror.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God." she heard Dakota whispering, her voice frantic and terrified.

"What the hell do we do?" LeShawna asked then, her voice drawing Gwen back to her senses. "Should we report this to the police?"

"No." Heather answered, before Gwen could speak. "We should do nothing. We just walk away and pretend this never happened. We still have a party to finish."

"Are you completely insane?" Courtney asked. "Or just stupid? We can't keep partying. We have to report this to the police."

"Why though?" Heather asked. "I see no reason why we all have to do that. Why can't a few us go, while the rest of us keep partying?"

"Did you not read the message Heather?" Courtney demanded. "This isn't some stunt or competition on some show. This is real. We have to do something about this or we're gonna die."

"We need to leave." Dawn said then. "All of us. We need to get out of this city, now!"

Courtney glanced at the moonchild and suddenly realized she was right. She moved to stand with Dawn, as did Gwen, who exchanged a glance with the former CIT that asked, _"Are we doing the right thing here?"_

"Do whatever you want." Heather said, her tone full of contempt. "I'm going somewhere else to keep partying. Who's with me?"

For a moment no one moved, and then Katie, Sadie, Dakota, Lindsey, and Beth stepped forward to join Heather, followed shortly thereafter by Anne Maria as well. Heather smirked and turned to leave, the others following her like a flock of sheep.

"Heather wait, don't do this." Gwen called, but Heather ignored her and kept walking, leaving those who had chosen to stop partying behind, presumably for good.

"What about the rest of you?" Dawn asked, once Gwen had given up on trying to stop Heather. "Are you going to join us and leave? Or are you going to stay here?"

"I'm sorry Dawn, but someone has to tell the authorities what happened here." Bridgette said. "I'm going to find the police. Who's with me?"

Zoey, Staci, Jo, Eva, and LeShawna stepped forward, LeShawna casting Gwen a sorrowful look. "Sorry sugar, but I've got to agree with Bridgette here. This makes the most sense." she said. "We may not have liked Blaineley, but that doesn't mean we should let someone get away with her murder."

"I understand." Gwen said. "But I agree with Dawn. We need to get out of this city."

"And we will." Bridgette said, with a faint smile. "Just as soon as we inform the police about what happened here."

"Okay then." Gwen said. "We'll meet you north of the city in twelve hours."

Bridgette nodded. "Stay safe, all of you." she said, before leading her group from the hotel.

_You too_, Gwen thought, as she watched them go. Once they were gone she turned back to Courtney, Dawn, Izzy, and Sierra, the only four who had remained with her. "Well, let's get the hell out of here." she said, before turning to leave.

The other four followed her, all of them sensing that this could very well have been the last time they would see the others they had left behind.

* * *

Las Vegas, 8:10 PM

Bridgette took a deep breath to calm herself before stepping out onto the street. She really didn't feel comfortable splitting up the group, but she had seen no sense in arguing with either Heather or Gwen. They had each made their choice and there was nothing that could be done about it now. All Bridgette could do was find the authorities and report what had happened to Blaineley with the hope that it would end this so called game before anyone else got hurt. Fortunately, she had a strong group of supporters, though Jo, Eva, and Staci wouldn't have been her preferred companions under normal circumstances. But circumstances were far from normal and Bridgette welcomed their company, almost as much as she welcomed that of Zoey and LeShawna.

Bridgette still couldn't quite believe what had happened. One moment they had all been partying, having a good time with not a care in the world, and the next Blaineley was dead and the rest of them were scattered around Las Vegas like a bunch of leaves in the wind. She was surprised that no one else had heard Blaineley scream, nor come to their aid afterwards. It was creepy and more than once since the lights had gone out Bridgette had wondered if there had even been anyone else in the hotel at the time of the attack. Surely there had been, but it was of no consequence now. No one was going to help them unless they sought out the help and that was exactly what Bridgette intended to do.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Jo asked then, her tone annoyed.

"I told you back at the hotel, we're going to find help." Bridgette answered, doing her best not to get angry.

"Help from who though?" Jo asked. "All the others went their own way and we're not exactly familiar with this city. How are we gonna find anyone to help us?"

"We just have to believe." Bridgette answered, though she was no where near as confident as she sounded. "We just have to believe that everything will work out."

"Fat chance of that, surfer girl." Eva muttered. "Even if we find someone to help us, there's very little chance they actually will."

"If you two are so certain we're not going to find help, then why did you come with me?" Bridgette asked, barely containing her anger.

"Because it was the best of the options that were available." Jo answered. "I wasn't about to go with Heather and Dawn creeps me out, so you were literally the only option left."

"You could have gone off on your own." Bridgette said. "There was always that option."

"Yeah, except like Jo said, we don't know this fucking city." Eva said. "There was a better chance of us not getting lost if we stuck with a group."

Bridgette stopped, taken aback by Eva's words. It wasn't like Eva, or Jo, to act as part of a team and the fact that they were made Bridgette more than a little uneasy. She gave Eva a curious look then, as though she was trying to decide if it really was Eve she was talking to.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, surfer girl." Eva muttered. "I'm just as capable as you of working in a team and giving a shit about other people. I just choose not to most of the time."

Bridgette glanced at LeShawna, Zoey, and Staci, all of whom simply shrugged, seemingly as dumbfounded as she was. "Alright, sorry I was so suspicious of you." she said, glancing at Eva and Jo. "Now, can we go find some help?"

"You're the one who stopped." Jo muttered, as they started walking again. Bridgette ignored the comment and refocused her efforts on finding a cop or two that she could warn of the message left at the scene of Blaineley's murder.

"Are we looking for anyone in particular?" Zoey asked, a few moments later.

"Not really." Bridgette answered. "Just cops. Any cops will do, as long as they're cops."

"My great-great-great-great grandfather was a cop." Staci said. "He was the best cop who ever lived. Never once had a perp escape from him. People said-"

"No one cares!" Jo snapped, shutting Staci up. "No one has ever cared about anything you have ever said."

Staci looked like she wanted to argue, but just then Bridgette spotted two cops across the street. "There." she said, pointing. "There's our help."

The others followed Bridgette across the street, to where the two cops sat on a bench in front of one Las Vegas' many famed casinos. They weren't dressed like cops, but Bridgette could see the badges they each had clipped to their belts and she somehow knew that these two men would believe whatever she told them.

"Officers." she called as she approached. "Could I speak with you a moment?"

The cops exchanged a glance before the older of the two nodded and said, "Sure, what can we help you with miss?"

"My friends and I, we...we need to report a murder." Bridgette said, gesturing at the others, who had gathered behind her, clearly content to let her do the talking.

"A murder huh?" the older cop asked. "Where did this alleged murder take place, exactly?"

"There." Bridgette said, pointing back towards the hotel where the party had been. "We were at a party at that hotel when one of our friends was murdered."

"Did you witness this murder?" the younger cop asked, his tone skeptical.

"No." Bridgette admitted. "It was dark. The power was out and...and our friend was in another room. But we heard her scream."

"You heard her scream?" the older cop said, his tone disbelieving. "And how do we know it wasn't you lot who killed this alleged friend of yours?"

"What?" LeShawna asked. "We would never-" A warning glance from Bridgette stopped her before she could say any more, though LeShawna was not the only one who looked upset by the officer's comment. Jo, Eva, and Zoey all looked ready for a fight as well, but Bridgette held them all at bay with another stern glance before turning her attention back to the cops.

"Officers please, we aren't killers." she said, her tone calm. "We're simply a group of terrified friends who-" She stopped then when she saw a red dot on the chest of the older cop. "Oh God." she breathed. "Not now."

"What did you-" the older cop started to ask, just as something struck him in the chest, throwing him backwards into the wall of the casino.

The younger cop turned to check on his partner before he too was dropped by a shot, this one catching him between the shoulder blades.

"Oh, my God!" Zoey screamed, her eyes going wide with shock, while Bridgette spun and grabbed Jo, pulling her to the ground.

"Get down!" she shouted, gesturing to the others, who quickly followed suit.

"Where the hell are the shots coming from?" Eva asked, as she crouched beside Bridgette.

Bridgette glanced at Eva and was about to answer when she noticed the red dot on the other girl's forehead. Before she could speak she heard the crack of the shot and suddenly the left half of Eva's head was gone, blood and brain matter splattering the pavement behind her.

Eva slumped to the side, her right eye still open and staring, and then Bridgette was on her feet. "RUN!" she screamed, before bolting for the nearest shelter, everything around her lost in a haze of tears and chaos.

* * *

Las Vegas, 8:20 PM

At a club a few blocks away, completely oblivious to what had just happened, Heather was dancing again, her body swaying in time with the pulsing beat of the music. She was completely lost in the mesmerizing atmosphere of the club, so much so that she had completely forgotten about those who had come with her, until Lindsey pulled her from the dance floor.

"What the fuck Lindsey?" Heather demanded. "I was having fun out there."

Lindsey did not immediately respond, instead choosing to glance at Beth and Dakota, who sat beside her, as if looking for reassurance. Beth nodded and Lindsey turned back to Heather, her blue eyes full of pleading.

"We, uh...we think we should go back." Lindsey said, meeting Heather's gaze without fear.

"Go back?" Heather asked, perplexed. "Go back where? To the hotel?"

"Yes." Lindsey replied. "We should go back to the hotel."

"Why?" Heather asked. "So we can listen to Dawn's dire warnings again? So we can hear Gwen tell us we were wrong? So we can hear Bridgette's pleas to go for help? No, I think I'll stay right here, thank you. This is much more fun."

"Yes, but Heather, we have an obligation to stick together." Dakota said. "We abandoned our friends and that's not right, especially now."

"Oh please!" Heather said, rolling her eyes. "Do you really think any of those ingrates are your friends? And even if they are, who cares? Why should we sacrifice our fun just to feed their fantasies about imminent death or whatever other bullshit? The only obligation we have is to keep partying. And that's final."

"No, it isn't." Dakota said. "We have to go back. And we're going to go back, whether you like it or not."

"Fuck you." Heather said. "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you."

"You can't stop us Heather." Beth said. "We're not afraid of you anymore. This isn't Total Drama, we won't be manipulated into doing what you want."

"Fine." Heather snapped. "Leave. See if I care. I can have fun without you." With that, she turned and headed back to the dance floor without another word, leaving them to make the next move.

Lindsey didn't wait. As soon as Heather was gone she rose and headed for the exit. Beth followed her, without a second thought. Dakota hesitated a moment before she too left, though by the time she got outside Lindsey and Beth were long gone.

_Damn it_, she thought, before heading off down the street, hoping to find someone to keep her company.

Back in the club, Heather had returned to dancing, barely sparing a thought to the three girls who had just abandoned her. She didn't need them anyway. She still had Katie and Sadie and Anne Maria to party with, though she couldn't seem to find them anywhere.

Part of her didn't care, though. Part of her was glad she was alone now. Part of her had always wanted to be alone for this party and now she was. She felt a sudden rush of euphoria at that thought and then she caught sight of Anne Maria and the figure that loomed behind her. And then, in one horrifying moment, all of Heather's joy turned to soul crushing fear.

**A/N: And that's chapter two. The death has begun, though the gore will pick up in later chapters. Obviously Blaineley was the first to die and Eva was the second, but who will be next? And who is it that's playing this game? Well, obviously I'm not going to tell you now, but the answers are coming. Prepare yourselves, the game only gets more brutal from here.**


	3. Blood on the Dance Floor

**Las Vegas, 8:35 PM**

Heather's mind was spinning wildly as she pushed her way through the crowd towards Anne Maria. The Jersey Shore wannabe was completely unaware of the danger she was in and Heather seemed to be the only one who had noticed or cared. Not that Anne Maria really meant anything to her, but she didn't want a fellow Total Drama contestant's murder on her conscience as she tried to continue partying. _Why the hell didn't I just go with Lindsey and Beth_, she thought, shoving another dancer out of her way just in time to catch another glimpse of Anne Maria.

"ANNE MARIA!" she shouted, hoping to catch the other girl's attention. But the club was too loud and Anne Maria couldn't hear her from so far away.

Cursing, Heather resumed pushing her way through the crowd, until finally she found herself standing right next to Anne Maria. "Hey, didn't you hear me earlier?" she asked, her gaze boring into Anne Maria with a furious hatred.

"No." Anne Maria replied. "I was busy dancing. What do you want?"

"I thought-" Heather began, before changing her mind. "Nothing. Just wanted to make sure you were still having a good time."

"Well, as you can clearly see, I am, so if you don't mind I'm gonna-hnt..." Anne Maria's sentence died as a knife was buried in her gut before being wrenched sideways, slicing her open like a sack of oats.

Heather screamed and leaped back, her eyes wide with terror as the shadowy figure she had seen earlier stepped into the light. The figure's face was covered, but he was clearly a man and Heather had never seen a more terrifying sight in her life. The man held Anne Maria by the hair, his cold eyes boring into Heather as he drove the knife into Anne Maria's gut again.

This time Anne Maria screamed, before blood came gushing from her mouth, turning her scream into a choking retch. The knife flashed again, this time slicing open Anne Maria's throat. Blood sprayed everywhere, drenching Heather and the other people nearby who had stopped dancing and were all watching in horror. The killer gave Heather one last glance then, before dropping Anne Maria and melting into the shadows. And then the entire club freaked out.

People began running for the doors, while Heather fought to Anne Maria's side. She knelt beside the other girl, tears stinging her eyes, while Anne Maria twitched on the floor, the last gasps of life quickly leaving her.

"I'm sorry." Heather whispered, before turning to leave, the image of Anne Maria's blood on the dance floor forever burned into her mind.

As she fled, Heather ran into Katie and Sadie, whom she had forgotten were still at the club. _Oh, my God, it could have been one of them_, she thought. _It could have been one of them the killer went for instead of Anne Maria. _

"Heather!" Katie cried, when she caught sight of queen bee. "What's going on? Why is everyone leaving the club?"

"More importantly, why are you covered in blood?" Sadie continued, her tone concerned.

"Anne Maria is dead." Heather answered. "This is her blood."

Katie and Sadie exchanged a glance, before Katie said, "Wait, what? What do you mean Anne Maria is dead?"

"I mean she's dead, she's fucking dead!" Heather shouted. "Some huge, masked guy came out of the shadows and killed her right in front of me."

"Oh God." Sadie said. "This is the same guy who killed Blaineley, isn't it?"

"I would assume so." Heather said. "Which means Dawn was right. We're not safe here. We have to go, now!"

Katie and Sadie did not argue, nor did they need to be told twice, much to Heather's relief. Keeping them alive would be so much easier if they didn't fight her, which they clearly wouldn't. And with that thought in mind, Heather led them away from the club, towards an uncertain fate.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 8:50 PM**

Gwen paused to get her bearings, glancing at the neon sign atop the casino in front of her. She did not recognize this casino, but that was not altogether surprising, considering she'd never been to Las Vegas before. Still, she knew some of the city's famous landmarks, like the MGM Grand, the Mirage, and the Forum Shops Mall, but it was clearly not enough to help her escape the city.

"Do you know where you're going?" Sierra asked then, her tone drawing Gwen's attention from the neon sign.

"Not really." Gwen was forced to admit. "Do you?"

"No." Sierra answered. "But that's all the more reason to let someone who does, lead."

Gwen sighed, but did not argue. Instead, she turned to the rest of her little band and asked the same question Sierra had just asked her. "Do any of you know where you're going?"

Courtney, Izzy, and Dawn did not answer, but that was all Gwen needed to know. "I see." she said. "So none of us have been to Vegas before, huh?"

"It would appear not." Courtney agreed, with a quick glance at Dawn. "Which begs the question, how do we escape a city none of us has ever visited before?"

"I'm sure Noah would know the answer to that, but unfortunately he's not fucking here." Gwen said, her tone irritated.

"We don't need Noah." Dawn said. "We just need to trust our instincts. Let the forces of nature guide us and we'll make out alive."

"And how, exactly, are we supposed to call on the forces of nature in the middle of a fucking city?" Courtney asked.

Dawn gave no reply, though Gwen was certain there was a way. There always was with the moonchild, though her way wasn't always the easiest to spot. Still, they had no other choice. It was either trust Dawn's judgment or end up dead, and none of them was keen on option two.

"We don't have a choice here." Gwen said. "We have to let nature guide us, whatever the hell that means?"

Courtney sighed, but did not argue. "Alright, let's do it Dawn's way." she muttered, rolling her eyes. "But if we end up walking into a trap, I'm gonna start to wish I'd gone with Bridgette."

"No, you won't." Dawn said. "No matter what happens, our group is the safest. The others will face more challenging trials."

"What does that even mean?" Sierra asked, before Courtney could speak.

"My guess is it means someone else is already dead." Izzy said, speaking for the first time since they'd left the hotel.

"I thought Gwen was supposed to be the morbid one?" Sierra said, puzzled.

Gwen shot her a dark look and Izzy giggled before answering. "I have my morbid moments Sierra." she said. "Gwen can't be morbid and gloomy all by herself, you know."

Sierra nodded, grinning, and Gwen shot another dark look at Izzy, who simply ignored it. But as they started moving again Gwen knew Izzy was right. Before this night was over she would need someone else to help carry the burden of morbidity, for at that moment she had the distinct feeling that someone was following them.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 9:00 PM**

Lindsay glanced over her shoulder, wondering if she had made the right choice. She and Beth had left the club without Heather and she was beginning to wish they hadn't. Not that she had any great love for Heather. It was just that Heather always seemed to have a plan and a solid plan would have been quite helpful at that particular moment. Lindsay had no clue what to do or where to go and Beth was proving to be less than helpful, a fact that was beginning to grate on Lindsay's nerves almost as bad as Heather's constant abuse had during TDI. But Lindsay recognized that fighting now would get them nowhere, so she kept her mouth shut and kept walking.

"Maybe we should go back." Beth said then, her tone worried.

"Why?" Lindsay asked. "Heather made it pretty clear how she feels about this."

"Yeah, but it would be safer if we stayed in larger groups." Beth said. "Besides, Heather could use our help, even if she won't admit it."

Lindsay considered that a moment before deciding Beth was right. "Alright, let's go back." she said, nodding like a trained parrot.

Beth smiled, glad Lindsay had agreed with her, though she had doubts herself about going back to Heather. Still, it was the best course of action available to them and Beth wasn't about to waste an opportunity to prove to Heather just how useful she could be.

However, the doubts that both girls had would turn out to be correct, just not how they had been anticipating. The club was in an uproar when they returned, people running everywhere in a panic, as though they were being chased by something horrible. Lindsay and Beth exchanged a bewildered glance before Beth moved to ask what was going on.

"Excuse me." she called, to a fleeing dancer. "What's going on? We were just here a little while ago and this place was calm. Did something happen?"

"Someone was murdered in there." the dancer replied, not bothering to stop. "The killer is still in there somewhere."

Beth glanced at Lindsay, her eyes wide, and whispered, "You don't think it was one of the others, do you?"

"I...I don't know." Lindsay stammered, her voice terrified. "Maybe...maybe we should go inside and find out."

Beth gave her a look that said, _"are you insane?"_, before nodding. She held out her hand then, hoping for some comfort, which Lindsay thankfully gave. And then they entered the club.

The sight that greeted them was horrifying. Anne Maria lay on the dance floor, blood pooling beneath her. Multiple wounds showed just how she'd died, though Beth could have figured it out without visual aide. Lindsay stifled a sob and Beth tightened her grip on the blond's hand, before leading the way over to Anne Maria's body.

"Oh God." Lindsay whispered. "This is horrible. Why is this happening to us?"

Beth had no answer, though she was certain there had to be some explanation for why this game was being played. But that was not her most pressing concern at the moment. There were no signs of Heather, Dakota, Katie, or Sadie at the club and Beth was more concerned about their whereabouts than the possible reasons behind the game.

"I hope Heather and the others got out alright." she said, turning away from Anne Maria's body, her tone a mixture of hope and fear.

"Dakota was right behind us." Lindsay said, as they moved to exit the club. "And I'm sure Heather got Katie and Sadie out safe."

Beth nodded, feeling slightly reassured, and then she caught a glimpse of something moving in the shadows. Seconds later, a masked man appeared before them, his cold eyes meeting Beth's for half a second. And then they were running, with no way of knowing if they were being pursued.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 9:10 PM**

Bridgette crouched in a dark alleyway, her heart hammering in her chest. Her head was spinning as well, as she fought the urge to vomit. She still couldn't quite process what had just happened. The last hour had been a blur and Bridgette had no idea where she was. All she knew was that Eva was dead and someone was definitely trying to kill her and her friends.

Beside her Jo and LeShawna crouched in silence, both of them still in shock as well. Staci was somewhere deeper in the alley, her breathing labored. And Zoey was propped up against the opposite wall, her right leg stretched out in front of her, blood still oozing from the hole where the bullet had hit her. Zoey's breathing was shallow and uneven, but at least she was breathing, which was more than Bridgette could say for Eva.

Bridgette took a deep breath to calm herself and turned her attention to Zoey's wound. "Okay, Zoey, I'm gonna try and remove the bullet now. You think you're up for that?" she asked, concern coloring her tone.

"Ugh...yeah." Zoey grunted through gritted teeth.

It was obvious she was in tremendous pain, but Bridgette had no choice. The bullet couldn't stay in Zoey's thigh and they couldn't risk going to a hospital. Bridgette had no idea who was stalking them or where the killer could show up, so remaining as off the grid as possible was the safest course for now. Unfortunately that meant that it fell to Bridgette and the others to tend to Zoey's wound.

Bridgette had found a pair of tweezers in one of the dumpsters in the alley, which would be her means of extracting the bullet. She would need help, of course, but LeShawna and Jo were more than capable of keeping Zoey calm while Bridgette performed the field surgery. Staci would be of less help, but she was dealing with a wound of her own, so Bridgette would excuse her absence.

"Okay, here's how this is going to work." she said, turning to Jo and LeShawna. "One of you is going to hold Zoey down while I extract the bullet. Whoever isn't doing that will be at the ready with cloth to stop the bleeding and bind the wound. Understood?"

Jo and LeShawna both nodded, though Jo wore a skeptical expression, as though she didn't believe this would work. Neither of them spoke any word of complaint however, for which Bridgette was extremely grateful. She turned back to Zoey then and smiled, hoping it was a reassuring gesture and not just a corny grin.

"You ready for this?" she asked, her voice calm and level.

"Just get it over with." Zoey grunted, her eyes meeting Bridgette's.

Bridgette nodded and moved to extract the bullet. Jo held Zoey still, one hand grasped firmly on each of the indie chick's shoulders. LeShawna stood at the ready with a handful of spare cloth Bridgette had found in the same dumpster as the the tweezers. Neither the cloth, nor the tweezers were as clean as Bridgette would have liked, but they were better than she had been expecting. And they would have to do for now, until it was safe to get Zoey to an actual doctor.

Bridgette gave Zoey one last reassuring smile before gently inserting the tweezers into the wound. Zoey gasped, but Jo held her still, and Bridgette felt the tweezers scrape against the bullet. With the gentle precision of a much more experienced surgeon she maneuvered the tweezers into place and grasped the bullet, all of her attention focused on the task at hand.

"Okay, this is gonna hurt." she said, her eyes meeting Zoey's.

Zoey nodded, though there was fear in her gaze. Seeking to reassure her Bridgette smiled and said, "Just take a deep breath and count to three. It'll be over by the time you're done."

Zoey nodded again and began counting as Bridgette gave the bullet a tug. "One, two, th-neyyyaaarrrgghhh!" Zoey screamed, as the bullet came free.

As soon as the bullet was gone, LeShawna sprang into action, wrapping Zoey's thigh tightly in multiple layers of cloth, which she then bound with a belt to hold the cloth in place. Blood quickly soaked through the first few layers of cloth, but by the time LeShawna had the belt in place, the bleeding had mostly stopped.

"Well, that was a success." Bridgette said, wiping sweat from her brow. "Now all we need to do is find our way out of this godforsaken city."

"What about alerting the authorities?" Staci asked then, speaking for the first time since they had escaped the sniper.

"We don't have time for that now." Bridgette said. "We have to get out of this city and find somewhere safe so Zoey can be checked out by a real doctor. And you, as well."

Staci glanced at the wound in her shoulder. "This is nothing." she muttered. "My great, great, great grandfather survived with ten wounds like this. I'll be fine."

"Bullshit." Jo snorted. "No one can survive that many gunshot wounds at once. Plus, you don't exactly look fine to me."

Staci was about to argue, when Bridgette cut her off. "Enough." she said. "Jo is right. You don't look good Staci and even if you are, we're going. That's final."

Staci rolled her eyes, but she did not argue further. It was clear to Bridgette that surviving this night was more important to Staci than trying to prove a point, for which Bridgette was more than grateful. She had enough to deal with, without Staci or anyone else adding to the stress. She turned to Zoey then and offered her hand to the indie chick.

"Can you stand?" she asked, hoping Zoey would say yes.

"I think so." Zoey said, taking Bridgette's hand as she spoke.

Bridgette hauled Zoey to her feet, draping the other girl's arm over her shoulder for support. Zoey grimaced as she put weight on her injured leg, and Bridgette caught her before she fell.

"It's okay, I've got you." she said, placing one hand on Zoey's hip to help hold her steady.

"Thanks." Zoey said, smiling. "I appreciate all that you've done for me Bridgette."

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" Bridgette said, shrugging.

Zoey nodded, seeming to agree, and they turned to leave, before a grunt of pain stopped them short.

Bridgette turned in time to see Staci lurch forward, her eyes wide, and then a sharp, metal object exploded from the compulsive lier's chest in a shower of blood.

Bridgette screamed and Jo cursed, and then they were running again, once again leaving behind one of their friends.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 9:30 PM**

Dakota paused outside yet another casino, trying to decide where she should go. It was the fifth or sixth casino she'd passed since leaving the club and she was getting more and more confused with each one she passed. The casinos were all different, but for someone who had never been to Las Vegas before they may as well have all been identical. It was enough to drive Dakota insane, though somehow she'd found the strength to stay sane so far.

_Damn it Lindsay_, she thought then. _Damn it Beth. Why didn't you guys wait for me?_

She'd been asking that same question since leaving the club. Her intention had been to stick with Lindsay and Beth, but by the time she'd made up her mind and left, they were already gone. She didn't understand why they'd just abandon her like that, but there had to be a reason. The best explanation she could come up with was that they'd been in such a hurry to get away from Heather that they'd temporarily forgotten about her. At least she hoped that was the case, because if it wasn't, she was alone in a city she was completely unfamiliar with.

Dakota shrugged then, finally deciding it didn't matter. Even if she'd been with Lindsay and Beth she'd likely be lost. They didn't know Las Vegas any better than she did and Lindsay was further disadvantaged by her relative lack of intelligence. Still, it would have been nice to have some companions, though there wasn't much Dakota could do about that now.

"Well, I guess I'll just keep wandering until someone finds me." she muttered, as she started walking again. _Oh God_, she thought. _I really am going insane. I'm talking to myself and everything. I've got to find my friends as soon as I can before this insanity gets any worse._

With that thought in mind Dakota headed towards the Forum Shops Mall with the hope that some of the others would be there. But just as she started walking towards the mall she got the feeling that someone or something was following her.

"Shit!" she cursed. "I really don't need this shit right now."

She glanced over her shoulder then, but there was no one there, except for a few drunk tourists and homeless panhandlers. _No real threat with either group there_, she thought, though she couldn't shake the feeling that something was following her.

She quickened her pace just in case, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure she wasn't being followed. It wasn't until the sixth or seventh time she did this however that she noticed a figure moving in the shadows, always staying at least a half block behind her. Panic gripped her then and she started running, all rational thought abandoned.

Her panicked flight took her into a dark alley behind some building she didn't recognize. She could feel the presence of the shadowy figure hot on her heels, though she was too afraid to look back. She was so focused on running away that she didn't see the bear trap until it closed on her right leg, it's steel teeth tearing through flesh and snapping bone.

"Aaarrrggghhhh!" Dakota screamed, as she collapsed in a heap, pain shooting up her leg. She immediately tried to pry the trap off, but the more she struggled the tighter the trap closed until the pain threatened to make her pass out. Blood soaked the leg of her pants and she fought the urge to vomit, not wanting to die in a puddle of puke.

And then she felt the presence right beside her. Glancing around, her eyes wide with fear, she caught a glimpse of a humanoid figure clad all in black, a large knife clutched in one hand. For a moment the figure just stood, staring at her with cold, dead eyes, and then it advanced with terrifying speed, the knife swinging downward in a slashing motion towards her throat.

"Noooooooo!" Dakota screamed, fear consuming her mind, and then everything went black as cold steel bit into soft flesh.

* * *

**A/N: And that's chapter 3. Yes, I know, the gore is still in relatively short supply, but the fear factor has been amped up a notch, wouldn't you agree? I promise the gore and violence will get more intense as the story progresses. I am simply waiting for the opportune moment to amp it up as well. Also, the MGM Grand and the Mirage are casinos and they are both real, as is the Forum Shops Mall. And yes, Blood on the Dance Floor (the title of this chapter) is a band, though I have no idea how good they are, since I've never listened to them. Finally, what did you think of Anne Maria and Staci's deaths and who do you think will be the next to die? That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed. Cheers, KT.**


	4. Like Rats in a Maze

**Las Vegas, 9:45 PM**

Heather paused, trying to get her bearings. It was nearly impossible to tell which direction she was going in, with all the bright lights and loud noises of the city distracting her. Her dilemma was made even worse by the fear gnawing at the pit of her stomach and the terrified whimpering of Katie and Sadie, whom she was beginning to wish she'd left behind.

"God, you two are annoying." she muttered as she started walking again.

"Sorry." Katie muttered, her tone sullen. "But we're scared is all. You saw what that guy did to Anne Maria."

"Yeah, I did." Heather agreed. "And don't you think that makes me afraid too?" When neither Katie, nor Sadie answered, she continued. "Because it does make me afraid, but fear will only get us killed quicker. So shut up and keep walking."

The truth was that Heather was more afraid than she'd ever been in her life, she simply didn't want to show it. Fear was weakness, just like friendship and compassion, and Heather had worked her whole life to keep her fears suppressed. And she had, even during the most harrowing moments on Total Drama she had kept her fears at bay. But watching Anne Maria get butchered like an animal had awoken a fear inside her that Heather had never known existed and it was that fear that was driving her now. But Heather knew that if she let that fear control her, she would die, and that was not something she could abide.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Sadie asked then, drawing a scathing glare from Heather.

"What did I just fucking say?" Heather snapped, her eyes blazing.

"It's just a simple question." Katie said. "What's wrong with that?"

"I don't know, okay?" Heather snapped. "I don't have the slightest fucking clue where we're going. I've never been to this godforsaken city before and I don't have any idea how it's laid out."

"Then why did you hold your party here?" Sadie asked, her gaze meeting Heather's.

"That was Blaineley's dumbass idea." Heather muttered. "I wanted to go somewhere else, but that bitch just wouldn't listen."

"That 'bitch', as you call her, is dead." Katie said. "So why don't you show a little more respect, huh?"

"Like you care." Heather snorted. "None of us liked Blaineley, that was pretty fucking obvious. So why should we show her anything now that she's dead?"

"Because, like her or not, she was still one of us." Katie said. "And now she's dead. And the dead deserve to be treated with respect."

"Yeah, cuz her killer did such a good job of that." Heather scoffed. "Blaineley was a fame mongering whore who got what she deserved. I don't give a shit that she's dead. She was nothing to me and she never will be."

"And how, exactly, does being a 'fame mongering whore' make Blaineley any different from you?" Katie asked, her tone venomous.

Heather stared, momentarily taken aback. And then she lashed out, the back of her hand meeting Katie's face with a crack like a whip. Katie went stumbling, but quickly regained her footing before launching herself at Heather.

"STOP!" a shrill voice shouted, bringing them both to a halt. They turned to see Sadie staring at them in horror and shock, her eyes wide with fear.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Sadie asked. "We're on the same team. We're being chased by a psycho killer. We just watched Anne Maria get butchered and you two wanna fight each other? Are you both fucking brain dead?"

Katie turned to her best friend, her expression apologetic. "Sorry." she said. "You're right. We shouldn't be fighting each other."

Heather nodded in agreement, but said nothing, her pride keeping her from admitting her mistake. "Let's keep moving." she said, after a moment of tense silence.

Katie and Sadie fell into line after that, though Katie was still seething. She kept her mouth shut though, in the interest of staying alive. Sadie was right after all, fighting amongst themselves would only get them killed.

"So, I think we should ask someone for help." Sadie said, a few moments later.

"Yeah, like who?" Heather asked, pushing strands of her hair out of her face as she spoke.

"Anyone." Sadie said. "Anyone who-urk..." Her sentence trailed off then as something hit her in the back.

"Sadie?" Heather asked, suddenly concerned. "Sadie, are you-?" Her sentence died as Sadie turned, revealing the knife that stuck out from between her shoulder blades.

Katie screamed and Heather moved to help Sadie, before another knife came flying out of the darkness, this one burying itself in Sadie's chest. Seconds later a third knife struck Sadie in the right eye, it's long blade penetrating her brain.

"Shit!" Heather cursed. "RUN, KATIE, RUN!" And then they were running, the sound of Sadie's last, shuddering breath echoing in their ears.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 10:00 PM**

"Oh my God, what was that thing?" Lindsay asked, as she came to a halt outside a sketchy looking bar somewhere off the Vegas Strip. She and Beth had been in perpetual motion since fleeing the club where Anne Maria had died, only now stopping to rest.

"I have no idea." Beth gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest. "I didn't get that good of a look at it."

"Was that what killed Blaineley and Anne Maria?" Lindsay asked, her tone thick with fear.

"I assume so." Beth replied. "Whatever it was though, I don't think it was human."

"How could it not be human?" Lindsay asked, confused.

"Again, I have no idea." Beth answered. "I'm just telling you what I think. For all I know, it is human, just a really, really freakish human."

"Okay." Lindsay said, her tone still fearful. "So, where are we?"

"Somewhere in Las Vegas, I suppose." Beth said. "Though I'm not rightly certain where. We're not on the Strip though, that's for sure."

"How can you tell?" Lindsay asked. "Everything looks the same here."

"No, it doesn't." Beth said. "If we were on the Strip, everything would be lit up a lot more because of all the casinos. But the signs aren't as bright here. Either that, or there aren't as many of them. Either way, we're a long way from where we started."

"So, what do we do now?" Lindsay asked, her tone questioning.

"I don't know Linds." Beth said, a hint of annoyance coloring her tone. "Why don't you try thinking of something for once."

Lindsay stared at her, dumbfounded, as though the very idea of coming up with a plan was impossible for her. For a moment she looked like she was going to cry and then inspiration seemed to strike her, like a bolt of lightning from the sky.

"I've got it." she said, her tone suddenly cheerful. "We'll find the others. Gwen and Courtney or Bridgette or even Heather. One of them will know what to do."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Beth asked, her tone incredulous. "We don't even know where we are, so how are we supposed to find our friends?"

"We look." Lindsay answered, as though it was obvious. "They have to be somewhere in this city, don't they?"

"Yes, Linds, they do." Beth agreed. "The question is, where?"

"Well, that's why we have to look." Lindsay said. "C'mon, let's start by going that way." She gestured to their left, where the shimmering lights of the Strip lit up the horizon.

Beth nodded, seeming to agree, and they started walking once again. Within seconds, Beth got the distinct feeling they were being followed and broke into a run, Lindsay following suit seconds later. As they ran, Beth caught a glimpse of something moving in the shadows, though it was too far away to make out clearly. The figure did not attempt to attack them however and before Beth could warn Lindsay about it, they were back on the Strip, the bright lights of the casinos flashing all around them in a brilliant wave of color.

And then Beth caught sight of something familiar, a head of black and turquoise hair as it disappeared down a distant alleyway.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 10:10 PM**

Gwen was the last to enter the alleyway, all of her senses on high alert. She hadn't wanted to come this way, but Izzy and Sierra had insisted and she hadn't felt like arguing with them. It was obvious that Dawn and Courtney weren't comfortable with this idea either, but like Gwen, neither of them had put up much of an argument. Courtney had reasoned there was simply no point in arguing with crazy people, which Gwen had to agree with. Still, it felt wrong to be following the plans of the two craziest contestants in Total Drama history and Gwen had the distinct feeling that this plan was going to end badly for someone.

Courtney seemed to share that feeling, for it was she who spoke then, her tone questioning. "So, tell me again why we're following Izzy and Sierra?" she asked, with a puzzled glance at Gwen.

"Because you said there was no point in arguing with crazy people." Gwen answered.

"Yeah, but still...shouldn't we be following someone who isn't crazy?" Courtney said.

"If you think you can convince those two nutters to follow us, be my guest." Gwen said. "But you'll probably have an easier time convincing this killer to leave us alone."

"We're not nutters." Sierra protested, from somewhere ahead of them. "We're simply doing what's best to get us out of this city alive."

"And how does wandering down some godforsaken fucking alleyway get us out of the city?" Courtney asked, her tone incredulous.

"You'll see." Izzy chimed in, in an eerie sing-song voice.

"I think they're leading us to our doom." Courtney muttered, glancing at Gwen again.

"It's possible, but not probable." Gwen conceded. "What do you think Dawn?"

"I think we should trust them." Dawn answered, though her response sounded reluctant.

Gwen nodded and kept walking, seemingly satisfied with Dawn's response. Courtney didn't seem to feel the same way, but she kept her feeling to herself, deciding once again that it was pointless to argue.

It wasn't long, however, before Courtney's fears came to pass. With every step they took, they disappeared deeper into the heart of Las Vegas, each alleyway and side street somehow always leading them back to the Strip. It was enough to drive any person insane, but the constant jabbering by Sierra and Izzy, coupled with the seemingly never ending maze of streets was pushing both Gwen and Courtney past the point of breaking.

"Alright, enough of this shit!" Courtney snapped, as they exited yet another alleyway, only to find themselves back on the Strip. "You two have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"I guess not." Izzy said, with a sheepish grin. "But we'll figure it out."

"No you won't." Courtney snapped. "You'll never figure anything out. Just stop talking and let me and Gwen lead. Jesus, you two are more annoying than Staci sometimes."

"You shouldn't say that." Dawn said, her tone serious.

"Why not?" Courtney demanded. "It's true, isn't it?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. You still shouldn't say it." Dawn said, her gaze passing over Courtney in an eerie glance.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Courtney asked, confused.

"Staci is dead." Dawn answered, her tone solemn.

"How do you know that?" Sierra asked, suddenly afraid.

"I saw it." Dawn answered. "I've seen them all. Staci, Eva, Anne Maria, Sadie. They're all dead. And more will die before the night is over."

"Who?" Izzy asked. "Who else will die Dawn? Tell us."

"I can't." Dawn said. "I can only see the death's as they happen, not before."

"Can you at least see a way for us to escape?" Courtney asked.

"No." Dawn answered. "Believe me, I've tried. But all I see is darkness."

"So we're trapped then." Gwen said, making it a statement, rather than a question. "Trapped, like rats in a maze."

"No, there has to be a way out." Courtney wailed. "There has to be. We can't die here, hunted down like animals."

"And yet, it seems we will." Gwen said, her tone grim. "Unless we can somehow find a way to cheat, to break the rules and bend the maze to our will, rather than us bending to it."

"Yeah, and how do we do that?" Sierra asked. "How do we bend the will of an entire fucking city?"

"I...I don't know." Gwen said, hanging her head. "I don't know."

"Well that's just great." Izzy said. "That's just-" Her sentence died at the sound of footsteps from behind them, the sound echoing off the walls of the buildings around them.

Silently they all turned, each of them tensing, ready to run at a moments notice. Gwen knelt and grabbed a broken bottle and Izzy grabbed a brick, but the others were left defenseless in the case of an attack. The sound of the footsteps grew louder and Gwen moved towards them, her bottle raised in front of her as a weapon.

"Who's there?" she asked. "Show yourself."

"Chill Gwen, it's just us." Lindsay said, as she and Beth emerged from the shadows.

Gwen felt herself relax, all the tension leaving her in a flood of relief. "Lindsay, Beth, what are you two doing here?" she asked, puzzled.

"We left Heather after she refused to go back to the hotel." Beth answered. "Man, you guys are hard to find, though. I spotted Gwen going into an alleyway, but by the time we got there, you all had disappeared again. It's taken us the better part of an hour just to find you again."

"Sorry about that." Gwen said. "We were following the plan of two nutters." She glanced at Izzy and Sierra, and grinned, a gesture which they returned.

"Have you figured out a way out of here yet?" Lindsay asked, glancing at Gwen.

"No, unfortunately." Gwen answered. "This city is like a fucking maze."

"Well that's fine, cuz we think we've found a way out." Beth said, grinning, before leading them all towards yet another dark alleyway.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 11:00 PM**

Dakota came to suddenly, bright lights popping behind her eyes as she sat up. Dazed, she blinked, trying to clear the cobwebs from her brain. And then realization hit her, a realization so profound that it should have broken her mind.

"I...I'm alive." she whispered, her voice hoarse. "How am I alive?"

It was a legitimate question, as the last thing she remembered before the darkness took her was the flash of a knife as it swung towards her throat. She had felt the knife make contact with her, felt its cold, steel blade slice through her flesh, tasted the blood as it had come gushing from the wound and filled her mouth. And yet, here she was, alive, her brain trying to make sense of the whole ordeal. Instinctively her hands went to her throat, only to find that there was no gash where the blade had made contact, no wound at all to show any indication of an attack of any kind.

"What the hell?" she said aloud. "This doesn't make any sense. I felt the blade open my throat. How am I still alive?"

"I believe I can answer that question, my dear." a deep, rumbling voice said from the shadows to her right.

"Who's there?" Dakota asked, her voice now a terrified squeak.

"Your murderer." the voice replied, sending chills down Dakota's spine. And then the figure she had seen before, just before her throat was slashed, emerged from the shadows, his cold eyes never once leaving her.

Instinctively, Dakota stood to flee, but a sharp stab of pain shooting up her right leg stopped her before she could advance. Glancing down she noticed that the bear trap that had trapped her earlier was still clamped shut around her calf, its steel teeth dug deep into her flesh. Horrified, she collapsed back to the pavement in a heap, all of her resolve vanishing in an instant.

"Who...who are you?" she asked then, her gaze rising to meet that of her killer.

"Who I am is none of your concern." the man answered. "All you need to know is what I can and will do."

"What is it that you can do?" Dakota asked, her voice trembling.

"I can kill." the man answered. "And I can kill quite well. I have already done it and I will again. You will be among those I kill this night, Dakota Milton, you and all your friends."

"Why?" Dakota asked. "Why are you doing this? What have any of my friends or myself done to deserve this?"

"Nothing." the man said simply. "I am doing this thing because I choose to and for no other reason. That you and your friends were chosen for this game is mere coincidence. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So why am I still alive?" Dakota asked, her tone suggesting that she didn't completely buy his explanation.

"Because you were never truly dead." the man answered. "The knife that slashed your throat was an illusion, one I used to make you think that you had died."

"But why though?" Dakota asked. "If you're so intent on killing me, why not just do it and get it over with?"

"Because the game is mine." the man answered. "I make the rules and I decide how each victim shall die. The illusion was a trick, meant to conceal the true means of your death until it was far too late for you to avoid them."

Dakota cocked her head, confused. "Okay, so what is the true means of my death, then?" she asked. "How are you actually going to kill me?"

"Like this." the man said, before leaping forward, two ceremonial daggers twirling in his hands in a bright flash of silver.

And then the blades bit into Dakota's chest, just beneath her breasts, and she was lifted off the ground. The man held her aloft for what seemed like an eternity, the daggers sliding ever deeper into her flesh, before the man slammed her back into the pavement and wrenched the daggers free.

Dakota gasped as the blades slid free, blood dribbling from her mouth. "End...hn...end it." she gasped, tasting the blood with every word she spoke.

The man obliged, though he did not do it quickly. First he drove one of the daggers into her belly, before slicing her open from right to left. He then took a moment to admire his handiwork, as Dakota's guts spilled out from the gaping wound. Then the second dagger made contact again, this time just below Dakota's chin. The man then drug it down through her throat, chest, and abdomen, so that the two slashes made the shape of an inverted cross. And finally, as Dakota choked on her final, bloody breath, the man drove a third dagger directly into her heart for the final killing blow.

Dakota's body jerked as the dagger punctured her heart, her brain firing off one final synapse, and then she was still, her life's blood pooling beneath her.

* * *

**A/N: And that's chapter 4. I had planned to write one more scene for this chapter, but decided to end it here, as this ending leaves more surprises for later chapters. As you can tell, Dakota did not, in fact, die at the end of chapter 3. I admit that this was kind of a cheap move on my part, but I made it anyway, as I felt it worked better than simply killing her off in chapter 3. Also, I wanted Dakota to be the first to learn a bit about the killer before her demise. If you are curious about just who this killer is and how he is able to do the things he does, just wait. All of that will be revealed in time, as will his true reasons for playing this game. Anyway, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed. Cheers, KT.**


	5. The Bomb and The Blade

**Las Vegas, 11:15 PM**

Courtney could only watch in horror. She and her companions were still trapped somewhere in Las Vegas, seemingly with no way out, and everything was falling apart around them. Dawn was freaking out, screaming, her whole body shaking as she witnessed a vision of the death of yet another of their friends. This time it had been Dakota's death the moonchild had seen and with each vision she grew more and more agitated. Gwen was doing what she could to keep Dawn calm, while Izzy and Sierra seemed to find Dawn's agitation morbidly amusing. Lindsay and Beth, meanwhile, were still convinced they knew a way out of the city, though so far their leadership had proven to be no more effective than Izzy and Sierra's had.

"Alright, that's enough!" Courtney shouted, bringing them all to a halt. "This madness has to end. We need a plan damn it and all this freaking out isn't going to help."

"We have a plan." Lindsay said. "Beth and I are showing you the way out."

"No, you're not." Courtney snapped. "All you're doing is leading us in fucking circles, just like these two nut jobs were." She gestured at Izzy and Sierra as she spoke, drawing dark glances from both of them, which she ignored.

"Court, trust us, we're not leading you in circles." Beth said, her tone calm. "We know exactly what we're doing."

"Yeah, well, I somehow doubt that." Courtney said, her tone disbelieving.

"If you have a better idea, I'd be delighted to hear it." Beth said, her tone still remarkably calm, despite her obvious annoyance with Courtney.

"I do have a better idea, actually." Courtney said, smiling. "Why don't you follow me for once, instead of letting your own misguided notions blind you to the truth."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that." Sierra said, before Beth could speak.

"What?" Courtney asked, incredulous. "What are you talking about?"

"Your statement just now." Sierra answered. "Do you have any idea who you just sounded like, any idea at all?"

"I...I'm not sure what you mean." Courtney said, her tone stiff, though her shifting gaze gave her away.

"Heather." Beth said, picking up where Sierra had left off. "You sound like Heather. All that talk about us being misguided and failing to see the truth, that's exactly the kind of thing Heather would say in a situation like this."

"I...n-no...I didn't mean to sound like that." Courtney stammered. "It's just...the way things are going, we're never going to get out of here." She glanced at Gwen then for reassurance, but the goth just shrugged.

"Hey, don't look at me." Gwen said. "You did kinda sound like Heather."

Courtney opened her mouth to argue, but stopped when she saw the look on Dawn's face. "Hey, are you okay Dawn?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"Oh sure, now you notice Dawn freaking out." Izzy muttered, with another dark glance at the former CIT.

"Shut up." Courtney muttered, moving towards Dawn as she spoke. "Dawn, can you hear me? Is everything alright?"

"Blood." Dawn breathed. "So much blood. She was drowning in it, in her own blood. And we're next, all of us."

"She's talking about Dakota, I think, in case you missed that." Gwen said, glancing at Courtney as she spoke. "It's all I could get her to say."

Courtney sighed and glanced at Dawn's frightened, tear-stained face. She had never really understood how the moonchild did what she did, nor had she really believed it. But the look on Dawn's face in that moment was so utterly convincing that Courtney had no choice but to believe. Dawn had seen Dakota's death as it happened and in that vision she had also seen the future.

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do." she said, turning away from Dawn's haunted gaze. "We're gonna follow whatever lead Beth and Lindsay have and hope to God it's good, or else we may as well just lay down and die."

With that said, she rose and started walking, the others rushing to keep up.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 11:40 PM**

Zoey paused to catch her breath, her teeth gritted against the pain. Her leg was throbbing and she could barely stand, but she would show no weakness to her companions. It wasn't easy to ignore the pain though and she knew that sooner or later she was going to crack.

Bridgette had done all she could to help Zoey and the indie chick was grateful for the help, but Bridgette's medical training was rudimentary at best. Zoey was fully aware that she needed a hospital, and soon, or she risked losing the leg altogether. But getting to a hospital wasn't going to be easy, especially with Jo insisting that they stay off the streets as much as possible. Bridgette had argued against that idea, but in the end Jo had won out and they were now making there way through a maze of alleyways and side streets, hoping to avoid detection by their hunter.

"You okay?" Bridgette asked then, glancing sidelong at Zoey, who was leaning heavily on an old crutch they'd found in the alleyway where Bridgette had pulled the bullet from Zoey's leg.

"More or less." Zoey grunted through gritted teeth. "My damn leg is killing me, but otherwise I'm great."

"Don't worry. We'll get you to a hospital soon enough." Bridgette said, with an encouraging smile she hoped would lift Zoey's spirits.

"I appreciate the effort Bridgette, but I don't think we're ever going to make it to a hospital." Zoey said, casting a dark glance at Jo as she spoke.

"Hey, don't glare at me." Jo snapped. "I'm just trying to keep us all alive. Or do you want to end up like Eva and Staci?"

"Okay, first of all, that's not cool." Bridgette said, glaring at Jo. "Eva and Staci were our friends and you should treat their memory with a bit more respect. And second, we're all trying to keep everyone alive, so don't pretend it's just you who cares."

"Whatever." Jo muttered. "I'm outta here. You guys can do whatever you want."

"JO, GET YOUR MANISH ASS BACK OVER HERE!" LeShawna shouted then, making them all jump. "You are not going off on your own, damn it. That's a definite death sentence and I will not be having any more of my friends die tonight."

"Jeez, calm down." Jo muttered. "I wasn't really gonna leave."

"Sure didn't look like that to me." LeShawna replied. "But don't ever even consider doing it, or I'll kill you myself."

"Whoa, calm down LeShawna." Bridgette said. "Jo's not going anywhere. Let's all just take a breather and then we can figure things out, okay?"

LeShawna took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Fine." she said. "But we've got to come up with a better plan. I can't deal with anyone else dying tonight."

"I know." Bridgette agreed. "Neither can I. By the way, since when have you known so much about slasher movies?"

"I've watched a bunch with Gwen." LeShawna answered, a hint of a smile softening her hard stare.

"How'd Gwen manage that?" Bridgette asked. "Getting you to watch the movies, I mean."

"It was actually Harold who got me to do it." LeShawna answered. "He's gotten a lot closer with Duncan recently and he wanted to watch some slasher movies, so we went and watched a bunch with Duncan and Gwen."

"Makes sense." Bridgette said, grinning. "Though it's weird to think of Duncan and Harold as friends."

"It is, isn't it?" LeShawna agreed, laughing.

The sound of Jo clearing her throat brought an end to the lighthearted moment. "Sorry to end your little moment or whatever, but shouldn't we be figuring out our next move?" the jockette asked, her gaze moving from one companion to the other.

"Yeah, we probably should." Bridgette said, glancing at Zoey. "You okay to start moving again?"

Zoey nodded and they started walking again, Jo laying out her new plan as they moved. "So, it's obvious we need to find a hospital." she said. "And I know I wanted to avoid the main streets, but I'm starting to think that was a mistake."

"Yeah, no shit." Zoey grunted. "My leg fucking feels like it's on fire."

"Yeah, yeah, quit complaining." Jo muttered. "I'm changing the plan, alright? We'll get you to a hospital the easy way and then we'll worry about getting out of this fucking city."

Zoey nodded again, seeming to appreciate Jo's sudden change of tone, though she was in too much pain to actually voice her gratitude. Still, it was obvious that she appreciated everything her friends were doing for her, especially since they were risking their own lives to help her.

"The only question now is, where's the closest hospital?" LeShawna asked, as they stepped out onto one of the main through streets.

"I'm sure there's one nearby." Bridgette said. "We just have to-shit!"

"What? What is it?" LeShawna asked, glancing at the surfer with concern.

"I saw someone watching us." Bridgette said. "I think it's the killer." She glanced at the spot where she'd seen the figure, hoping for a better look. What she saw froze her to the core with fear, for the eyes that stared back were full of malicious delight; the eyes of a predator.

"Run." she whispered. "Run now." And without waiting to see if the others had obeyed, she took off, praying they had the sense to follow.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 12:10 AM**

Gwen was staring at the map on her phone when it hit her that she and her friends weren't going to make it out of Las Vegas alive. Courtney's plan wasn't working any better than those Izzy and Sierra, and Lindsay and Beth had had and they were even more lost than they had been earlier. And yet Gwen couldn't bring herself to point this out to Courtney, who was still convinced that they would somehow find a way out.

"It shouldn't be this hard." Courtney said then, drawing Gwen from her thoughts.

"What shouldn't be this hard?" Gwen asked, with a speculative glance at the former CIT.

"This." Courtney replied, gesturing at nothing in particular. "All of this. Running. Hiding. Finding a way out of this fucking city."

Gwen nodded, understanding and agreeing. It was true, after all. It shouldn't be this hard for them to escape. Las Vegas wasn't that big of a city and multiple highways intersected in the middle of the city. They should be able to just pick one of those highways and follow it out of the city, and yet for some reason, they couldn't seem to do it. Even when they had a plan to follow, they couldn't seem to find the way out. It was almost as if something, some invisible force, was conspiring against them, making it virtually impossible for them to escape.

"I'm beginning to think we weren't meant to escape." Gwen said. "Perhaps that's why it's not as easy as it should be."

"Don't say that." Dawn said, her tone fearful. "We can escape. I know we can."

"Did you see us doing it though?" Izzy asked, her tone serious. "Did you see us escaping with our lives? Or are you just being optimistic."

"I...I don't...I don't have an answer." Dawn said, her voice a timid whisper.

"So you're just going on blind faith then." Courtney said. "Well that's just great Dawn. That's just fucking great. It's nice to know we have your blind faith to rely on."

"Courtney, shut up." Gwen muttered. "It doesn't matter what Dawn has or hasn't seen or what I think. All that matters is proving those assumptions wrong."

"But how?" Sierra asked. "We've been running around this city for hours with no idea what we're doing. How are we supposed to find a way to escape now?"

"Weren't you the one who had a fucking plan just a little while ago?" Gwen asked, her tone irritated. "Cuz I distinctly recall you and Izzy having some kind of plan."

"Yeah, we did, until you guys shot it down." Izzy said. "And then we followed Lindsay and Beth's dumbass plan and then Courtney's. And we've gotten no closer to escape than we were when left that damn hotel."

"Our plan wasn't stupid." Lindsay muttered, obviously hurt by Izzy's harsh words.

"Oh really?" Izzy scoffed. "Then why the hell didn't it work?"

"Why didn't your plan work?" Lindsay countered, her blue eyes blazing.

Izzy opened her mouth to reply, but Gwen beat her to the punch. "Alright, everybody shut up." she muttered. "Look, it doesn't matter who's plan was better. All of them sucked. So stop arguing about it and put your heads together to come up with a plan that will work."

Taken aback by Gwen's sudden authoritative demeanor the others simply nodded and set to work bouncing ideas off each other while Gwen kept track of what was being said.

A short time later the group broke, a consensus finally reached. The new plan was to find one of the main through streets and follow it until they found a highway they could use to exit the city. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it was better than any of the others they'd had since leaving the hotel. And Gwen was sure it would work, which was better than she'd felt about anything else since coming to the city of sin.

However, just as they began walking back towards the strip, Beth caught sight of something that made her freeze. Gwen noticed before anyone else and moved to check on the nerd queen.

"Beth, are you alright?" Gwen asked, her tone concerned.

"I...no, I'm not." Beth answered, almost tripping over her words in fear.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked, signaling for the others to stop.

"I saw him." Beth answered. "The guy Lindsay and I were running from before we met up with you. The guy who killed Anne Maria at the club."

Gwen felt her blood go cold at Beth's words and for a moment she didn't know what to do. And then she spotted him as well, a tall, dark figure, watching them from the shadows. And she knew then that the plan would never work. Their only chance of survival was to run and run now.

And so they did, none of them bothering to question Gwen's sudden change of direction. They all seemed to sense the danger, for which Gwen was extremely grateful, for she didn't have time to explain her reasoning. All she wanted to do was get them all safely out of the city and this was the only way she could think of.

Their flight eventually brought them to an alleyway in an older section of Las Vegas, that was more run down and less well lit than the area around the Strip. Gwen came to a halt at the alleyway's entrance, Dawn and Courtney stopping just behind her. Beth and Lindsay were deeper into the alleyway and Izzy and Sierra were somewhere in between. None of them were speaking, fear driving all thoughts from their minds. And then they heard it, a distinctive ticking sound coming from somewhere in the alleyway.

_Tick, tick, tick, tick_, like the ticking of a clock, though there was no clock to be found.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Sierra asked, glancing around the alley as she spoke.

"The ticking?" Beth asked, her gaze meeting Sierra's.

"Yeah." Sierra answered. "I heard it as soon as I entered the alley."

"I hear it too." Beth confirmed. "It sounds like a clock to me."

"That's what I thought too." Sierra said. "But I don't see any clock anywhere."

"Maybe it's something else?" Izzy suggested, indicating that she too had heard the ticking.

"Like what?" Courtney asked, from the alleyway's entrance. "What else could it possibly be? Only clocks tick."

_Tick, tick, tick, tick_, the ticking continued as they argued and then Beth, through sheer luck, found its source.

"Uh, guys?" she said, her tone strained. "It isn't a clock."

"Then what the hell is it?" Courtney asked, as the rest of the group approached Beth's location at the end of the alley.

Beth didn't answer. She simply gestured at the box that sat between the two dumpsters at the end of the alley. Nestled in the box was a mass of wires, nails, glass, steel ball bearings, and a bunch of other junk that had no business being in a box together. And mounted on the front of all of this was a timer, counting down towards zero.

"Oh shit." Gwen breathed, instantly recognizing the wiring for what it was. "It's a bomb. It's a fucking bomb." She stared in horror a second longer before shouting, "RUN, DAMN IT, RUN!" And then she was running, fear consuming her mind.

Seconds later the bomb exploded, rocking the alleyway with tremendous force. Gwen felt the shock-wave hit her as she was thrown into the air. She glanced back in time to see the alleyway be engulfed in flame and shrapnel, her friends caught in the middle of the explosion's fury. And then she hit the ground, her head smashing into the pavement, and everything went black.

* * *

**Las Vegas, 12:30 AM**

Bridgette came to a sudden halt just inside a dimly lit alleyway, her breath coming in short, painful gasps. She could hear Zoey, LeShawna, and Jo behind her, each of them gasping for air as well. Her mind was buzzing with a mixture of fear and hopelessness, though she couldn't help feeling a tiny bit of excitement as well. It was strange. She had never found fear exciting before and yet there was something about this fear that was.

"What the hell was that?" Jo's harsh, demanding voice asked then, bringing Bridgette back to her senses. "I thought we had a plan?"

"We did." Bridgette said, glancing sidelong at the jockette. "I mean, we do. It's just..." She trailed off, not wanting to admit her fear.

"It's just what?" LeShawna asked. "Bridgette, what's going on?"

"I saw...I saw a man watching us." Bridgette answered. "He had this look in his eyes like he was hungry for blood and I freaked. That's why I ran."

"You think this guy is the one who's after us?" Zoey asked, wincing as she put weight on her injured leg.

"I do." Bridgette answered. "The way he was looking at us, it was like nothing I've ever seen before. It wasn't human."

"Okay, so what was it?" Jo asked, her tone skeptical. "And what are we going to do about helping Zoey?"

"I don't know what it was, just that it wanted to kill us." Bridgette answered. "And we're still gonna help Zoey, I'm just not sure how."

"Why can't we just take her to a hospital like we planned?" LeShawna asked.

"Because it's too dangerous, isn't it?" Zoey asked, glancing at Bridgette. "It's okay Bridgette, I understand. You don't have to pretend you're not afraid. We all are and I'll be alright. We have to do whatever keeps us all safe."

"But, what about your leg?" Jo asked. "If that wound isn't properly treated soon, it's gonna get infected and then you'll probably lose the leg."

"We have bigger things to worry about at the moment than my leg." Zoey said. "If I lose it, I lose it. Better that than all of us losing our lives."

"No, I can't accept that." Bridgette said. "I took the lead on this and it's my job to make sure we all get out of this city alive and in one piece."

"But how are we going to get to a hospital if we can't go out where that...guy can find us?" LeShawna asked, fear coloring her tone.

"I have no idea, but we'll figure something out." Bridgette answered, moving towards the opposite end of the alley as she spoke.

Before she could take more than two steps however, Jo grabbed her and pulled her back, a look of shock and fury on her face.

"What the hell?" Bridgette snapped, rounding on Jo, her eyes blazing.

"You almost got yourself killed." Jo replied, shrugging off Bridgette's anger.

"What?" Bridgette asked. "Jo, what the hell are you talking about?"

"That." Jo answered, pointing at the ground in front of them.

Bridgette looked, her eyes going wide as they fell upon the thing Jo was pointing at. There, stretched out before them like a snake in the grass, was a trip wire, almost invisible against the dark stone of the alleyway. Bridgette hadn't seen it at all and whatever it was attached to would almost certainly have killed her if she'd stepped on it.

"Oh my God." she breathed. "Jo, thank you so much for stopping me."

Jo said nothing, seeming not to care about Bridgette's thanks. But Bridgette could tell that Jo had acted out of the kindness of her heart and for that she was grateful.

Nodding, she stepped over the wire, LeShawna and Zoey following close behind. It was then that Bridgette noticed what Jo was doing and the sight filled her with sudden dread and rage. "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded, staring at Jo in disbelief.

"Seeing what this thing is connected to." Jo answered, her tone casual. "Look, it goes up the wall here and disappears into the shadows above."

"So? It's obviously a trap." Bridgette said. "Why does it matter what it's connected to?"

Jo didn't answer and instead reached for the wire where it was mounted on the wall of one of the buildings that framed the alleyway.

"JO, NO!" Bridgette shouted, moving to stop the jockette.

But she was too later. Jo gave the wire a yank and the trap sprung. Bridgette spotted the blade that was attached to the other end of the wire in time, just as she tackled Jo to the ground. "GET DOWN." she shouted to LeShawna and Zoey, as she and Jo rolled to safety.

LeShawna immediately obeyed, dropping like a sack of potatoes. But Zoey, hindered by her injured leg, was too slow to avoid the arcing blade.

Cold steel bit into the soft flesh of Zoey's throat as she tried to duck, blood spraying everywhere. And then Zoey's head was rolling across the pavement, her eyes still wide with shock, while Bridgette, LeShawna, and Jo screamed in horror and dismay.

* * *

**A/N: And that's chapter 5. Pretty brutal right? Well, at least the end was brutal. Zoey joins the deceased and so do, well, y'know what, you'll just have to wait to see who survived the explosion. That will be revealed sometime in the next chapter. As you saw, this chapter featured, in addition to gruesome death and cliffhangers, dissension in the ranks and more glimpses of the mysterious killer who is playing this game. More will be revealed about the killer in the next chapter as well. Also, we have reached chapter 5, which means I will be starting work on the companion piece to this fic, which focuses on the boys as they go through their own night of terror. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Cheers, KT. **


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